PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Seventeen American Athletic Conference players were chosen in the 2020 NFL Draft, which concluded Saturday with the final four rounds.
The 2020 draft haul for The American ranks as the league’s second-highest total since the conference’s formation in 2013. The American finished one pick shy of its record of 18 picks in the 2018 draft.
Ten of the 12 American Athletic Conference schools produced at least one pick in this year’s draft, while four schools – Temple, Memphis, Tulsa and Tulane – had multiple picks. Temple led the way with a program-record four selections.
The first player from The American off the board was Memphis’ wide receiver Antonio Gibson, who was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the second pick of the third round (66th overall).
Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones went six picks later (72nd overall) to the Arizona Cardinals, while Temple center Matt Hennessy was tabbed by the Atlanta Falcons with the 14th pick of the third round (78th overall).
Cincinnati’s Josiah Deguara was the third tight end chosen in the draft as he went to the Green Bay Packers at No. 93 overall.
UConn’s Matt Peart completed The American’s Day 2 contingent as the four-year starter went to the New York Giants at No. 99 overall.
The American added 13 draft picks on a busy Saturday, beginning with Tulsa cornerback Reggie Robinson II, who went to the Dallas Cowboys with the 123rd overall pick. UCF wide receiver Gabriel Davis was chosen five picks later by the Buffalo Bills.
Tulsa defensive end Trevis Gipson was the first American Athletic Conference player taken in the fifth round when the Chicago Bears tabbed him with the 155th overall selection. Temple cornerback Harrison Hand was 169th overall to Minnesota, while Tulane wide receiver Darnell Mooney went to Chicago with pick No. 173.
Temple linebacker Shaun Bradley and SMU wideout James Proche were the two picks from The American in the sixth round. Bradley will continue to play home games at Lincoln Financial Field as he was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 196th pick. Proche was taken at No. 201 by the Baltimore Ravens.
Five seventh-round selections capped The American’s draft as Memphis cornerback Chris Claybrooks went to Jacksonville, while Tigers center Dustin Woodard was chosen by New England. Cornerback Thakarius Keyes of Tulane was taken by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and Chapelle Russell became the second Temple linebacker to be chosen as he went to Tampa Bay. The final selection from The American was Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry, who will project as a wide receiver in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.
American Athletic Conference Players Chosen in the 2020 NFL Draft
| |
Round |
Overall |
Player |
Pos |
School |
NFL Team |
| |
3 |
66 |
Antonio Gibson |
WR |
Memphis |
Washington |
| |
3 |
72 |
Josh Jones |
OT |
Houston |
Arizona |
| |
3 |
78 |
Matt Hennessy |
C |
Temple |
Atlanta |
| |
3 |
93 |
Josiah Deguara |
TE |
Cincinnati |
Green Bay |
| |
3 |
99 |
Matt Peart |
OT |
UConn |
New York Giants |
| |
4 |
123 |
Reggie Robinson II |
CB |
Tulsa |
Dallas |
| |
4 |
128 |
Gabriel Davis |
WR |
UCF |
Buffalo |
| |
5 |
155 |
Trevis Gipson |
DE |
Tulsa |
Chicago |
| |
5 |
169 |
Harrison Hand |
CB |
Temple |
Minnesota |
| |
5 |
173 |
Darnell Mooney |
WR |
Tulane |
Chicago |
| |
6 |
196 |
Shaun Bradley |
LB |
Temple |
Philadelphia |
| |
6 |
201 |
James Proche |
WR |
SMU |
Baltimore |
| |
7 |
223 |
Chris Claybrooks |
CB |
Memphis |
Jacksonville |
| |
7 |
281 |
Dustin Woodard |
C |
Memphis |
New England |
| |
7 |
237 |
Thakarius Keyes |
CB |
Tulane |
Kansas City |
| |
7 |
241 |
Chapelle Russell |
LB |
Temple |
Tampa Bay |
| |
7 |
246 |
Malcolm Perry |
WR |
Navy |
Miami |
Notes
The American’s 17 draft selections ranked sixth among NCAA conferences. The American was four picks shy of the Big 12’s 21 picks.
Sixteen of the 32 NFL teams selected at least one American Athletic Conference player. The Chicago Bears were the only team to select two players from The American (Trevis Gipson of Tulsa and Darnell Mooney of Tulane).
The first five players to be drafted from The American were offensive players, including three offensive linemen.
Temple led The American with a program-record four selections in this year’s draft, giving the Owls a league-leading 15 NFL draft picks since 2014, the first draft following the formation of the conference. Memphis is second with 12 picks, while UCF and Houston have 11 each.
Memphis is the only school from the conference to have at least one player taken in all seven drafts since the formation of The American.
Tulane has had at least one player selected in the draft in each of the last four years, marking the first time since 1999-2002 that the Green Wave has had a player taken in four straight drafts.
Tulsa had two players chosen in a draft for the first time since 1994, when wide receiver Chris Penn and quarterback Gus Frerotte were selected.
This year’s draft marked the first in which The American did not have a first-round selection.